Launching in the very near future will be the new (to the USA at least) Makita 10” slide miter saw LS1018 ($399). It appears this saw has been around in other countries for a couple of years, as you can see from our friends at ToolStop 2012 video. This saw will not be a replacement for the Makita 10” slide LS1016L ($499) and we will take a quick look at the differences in stats below to see the differences of each.
The new addition to the Makita bench top saw lineup provides several compelling reasons you might select this saw over others in the market. First is the big reduction in weight to 43.7 lbs vs LS1016L at 53.3 lbs. It is in fact only about 6 lbs heavier than Bosch’s Compact 8-1/2” miter saw CM8S ($469) at a mere 36 lbs. While the saw sheds some weight, it does not give up anything in capacity as it can do a full 12” x 3-5/8” which is actually larger than the LS1016L at only 12” x 2-13/16”. Of course the price drop doesn’t ever hurt saving almost 10% for the compact version and the top handle makes a lot of sense for easy transportation.
To get the weight down on the LS1018 however you also lose some of the features many people really like about the LS1016L. First the laser beam is gone. The compact saw also loses the 4 pole slide system, we really like, in favor of a lighter 2 pole slide system. While this may save weight it adds additional clearance needed behind the saw. As we mentioned above, the saw does have a larger total cut capacity however the LS1018 has a 13amp motor (4300 RPM) vs the LS1016L with a 15amp motor (3200 RPM). Will you be able to tell the difference, probably not in the majority of applications but we have not had the opportunity to run the new saw yet so can’t say what the effect would be.
Look for the new saw to be hitting store shelves soon. If you have questions on any Makita Tools feel free to contact the pros at Ohio Power Tool 800-242-4424 and they will be happy to help you find the right tool for the job.